Hello everybody. Here we meet again for the next act. The season 2 is almost over, only two acts left after this one. The chapter was written by both me and my friend in collab.

Disclamer: I own nothing, OUAT belongs to Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and SM belongs to Naoko Takeuchi/Toei.

The memory Rose. Reunion once more.

Storybrooke

Mr Gold was getting his pawnshop ready for the day, as suddenly an angry mob arrived. Gold didn't need to think twice, he tried to attack them, but to his horror, he realized that his dark powers for some reason weren't working. In the mob, he then saw Emily.

"Emily…! Emily, stop them!" – Gold said to his daughter, hoping that she would help him.

But to his surprise, she raised her hand and shouted her quote:

"Supreme Lightning!"

Emily hit him with her electrical powers, knocking him unconscious. Within moments, he was tied up, and as he regained his consciousness, he saw everyone with anger in their eyes. But what shocked him the most was that Belle, Neal and Emily on the side of the mob. The Dark One said hurryingly:

"You don't want them to kill me, do you…? You never wanted this for me!"

"It's the best solution for everyone." – Belle said – "They need to get rid of the monster you are."

"We can't take your side… not after how you betrayed us." – Neal added.

"You made us suffer from the day you entered our lives." – Emily added on her turn.

"Your execution is the best way to end our sufferings!" – Neal, Emily and Belle said in unison, as the mob shouted too, agreeing with their words.

"No… no, you can't mean this…!" – Gold said in despair, but it didn't change the angered expressions on his children's and his beloved woman's faces.

Then, a woman with light blonde hair and a star on her forehead went out of the mob. She was carrying a sword. She walked to Gold, and with one slash, she executed him, stabbing him through his heart.

Gold then woke up from the nightmare. After a moment, he sighed and he thought: "It's surely a sign… about the prophecy the seer told me years ago… the Light shall be my downfall."

Enchanted Forest

Belle was sobbing in her cell, as Rumplestiltskin suddenly came in and he complained:

"When you accepted with determination to work for me, I didn't expect you to miss your family this much."

"I sacrificed myself for my family, of course I miss them, you beast…!" – Belle retorted.

"Yes, of course, but this must stop. You're crying night after night, and I can't spin! And this is when I think the best!" – Rumplestiltskin replied.

After a short moment of silence, he magically made appear a pillow and gave it to Belle.

"Thanks. Maybe now I'll sleep better." – Belle said, assuming that it was what the Dark One gave it for.

"No, no, no, that's not for sleep. It's to muffle your crying, so I can go back to work!" – Rumple replied her.

Their conversation got interrupted, as they heard a breaking a glass, alerting them to a thief's presence. They both went to the main hall, and they saw that the thief was attempting to steal a magic wand.

"Are you sure of what you're doing, dearie?" – the Dark One asked.

The man looked at him and he said simply:

"Very."

"If you don't know how to use this wand, it could do something bad to you." – Rumple added.

"Well, let's go back to what I can use." – the thief replied, after what he aimed a bow and arrow at Rumplestiltskin – "Let's see what the arrow will do to you."

"Try to hit me first." – Rumplestiltskin said with a challenging tone.

"That's not difficult. The arrow shot from that bow always finds its target." – the thief explained – "How to not love magic?"

He then shot the arrow, and even if Rumplestiltskin tried to teleport himself, the arrow hit him anyway. But then, the Dark One pulled the arrow out of his chest and he said, giggling:

"Don't you know? All magic comes with a price! And in your case, the price is me."

The man understood that he put himself into something really bad, while Belle looked at him with worry.

Storybrooke

Tamara and her beau Greg Mendell were looking at a map of Storybrooke. Greg has marked all the places where he witnessed magic. The two were both excited by the fulfillment of their goals. However, Greg suggested to Tamara that she should return to her fiancé Neal, in order to avoid any suspicion.

"Don't worry, he will not be suspicious." – Tamara reassured him and then, she asked – "Greg, did you find something out about your father?"

"No. But he's here. I believe it." – Greg replied.

"We'll find him." – Tamara said, in a promising way.

"I know. But we must do one thing at a time." – Greg replied – "You brought the package here, didn't you?"

"It's at the town line. I couldn't just drive in the town with it." – Tamara said.

"Is it… stable?" – Greg asked.

"Very." – Tamara answered with a smile – "I'll bring it to you tonight. And… I'll keep an eye on her."

Greg only smiled in response as Tamara walked out his hotel room.

Meantime, Emily exited the hospital, after a daily visit to Belle. The girl sighed. But she suddenly got pulled out of her dark thoughts by a familiar voice.

"How's your mum, Emily?"

"Hi Little Em." – Emily replied, managing a small smile – "Her condition doesn't change. But what are you doing here alone?"

"David and Mary Margaret are at their works. Emma is sick worried about Lux and wonders who could have done this to him." – Little Em explained – "So, I decided to have a walk on my own."

"You shouldn't have. It's better when Emma is on your side." – Emily said, expecting that the kid would follow her advice.

"Okay… But right now, I'm not alone. I'm with you." – Little Em pointed out.

"Right… Do you want to do something particular?" – Emily asked, letting know that she wouldn't mind spent some time with her.

Emily needed to distract herself from the sad thoughts she always had after the hospital, and Little Em was a good way to chase them away. But Emily noticed that after what she went through in the 30th century, she wasn't that hopeless about Belle's condition.

"And what were you about to do?" – Little Em asked curiously.

"I was about to go in the library and read a book… we could read something together?" – Emily suggested.

"Hmm… let's see…"

"You don't read much, do you?"

"Sometimes, I'm forced to." – Little Em said honestly – "Our royal library is so huge, and sometimes I wonder if there's a way to read them all in one life."

"I see. Your mother asks you to read books for your education." – Emily stated.

"Uh-uh. But some of the books she picks up for me are so boring."

"It's part of the education. You'll always have to do things not so pleasant to your taste. But today, I promise I shall choose something more entertaining. Okay?"

"Okay. So, let's go to the library!" – Little Em exclaimed.

The kid ran in the direction of the clock tower, and Emily followed her, and she advised her to be more careful at streets. The two girls had no idea that they were observed by Tamara. She was taking some photos of the two on her phone. "In the end of the day, all those pictures shall be sent to our boss." – Tamara thought – "The Home Office will know what to do with you, you can be sure of that."

Enchanted Forest

Belle was sweeping the floor in Rumpelstiltskin's castle, while the thief was heard screaming in the background. The woman could barely ignore the shouts of pain, and she couldn't imagine what the Dark One was doing to him. Rumplestiltskin then entered and removed his bloody apron, he ordered to Belle:

"Clean this apron. I will return later."

Before he went away, Belle asked him:

"Are you torturing him for the theft of a magic wand?"

"No, it's because he tried to steal from me, the Dark One!" – Rumplestiltskin replied – "Anyone who tries, gets skinned alive! Everyone knows that."

"No. They don't." – Belle replied, not appreciating his doings at all.

"Well, they will after they discover the body!" – Rumplestiltskin said, after what he left.

After a moment, Belle went to the dungeon and gave a glass of water to the thief. As he drank, Belle said:

"I won't permit this to go on. It's inhuman."

She then released the thief from the dungeon, and the thief remarked:

"I totally agree… But I'm afraid his anger shall now turn towards you."

"I'll talk back, because no one deserves to be tortured like that." – Belle protested.

"He won't agree with you…" – the thief commented.

"I don't care, I'm not afraid of him." – Belle said, determinate – "Now, go away, he'll return soon."

Before the thief went away, he entreated Belle to flee with him, stating that Rumplestiltskin could kill her for freeing him. But Belle refused, explaining that she made a deal to serve him in order to save her family from the Ogres.

"If I run away, maybe I'll survive, but not my family." – she added.

"I can only wish you good luck." – the thief replied, after what he ran away.

Storybrooke

"You know, fairy tales were written by liars." – Little Em commented, while she was reading a book Emily picked up for her.

"'Liars' is a strong word." – Emily said with an amused smile – "It's just that not everyone knows our history well, that's all."

"Yeah, the result is the same." – Little Em said, before a thought crossed her mind – "Oh gods, what if someone writes a story about me? Or about mum and our kingdom? I wonder how unfaithful would that be!"

Emily giggles slightly at this. The thought was funny, but it made sense in the same time. After Emily finished rearranging some books, she looked at the clock.

"You know… you should go back home, don't you think?" – Emily said – "Emma and her parents will be so worried…"

"I guess you're right…" – Little Em agreed.

The little girl then gave the book she was reading back to Emily, who put it back on the right shelf. The two girls exited the building, but before they even crossed the street, Emily stopped walking. Little Em looked at her questioningly and then, she asked:

"Emily…? What's wrong?"

"I had the impression that we were observed." – Emily replied quietly, before she shook her head and she said – "No, it's nothing. I suppose I'm just tired."

The two girls pursued their way, while Tamara was watching them from behind another building, glad that she wasn't noticed. Spying Emily was the hardest task the Home Office (which she has never been in) could give her. "If I'm not careful, Emily can easily get suspicious…" – Tamara was thinking, while she was following her from distance – "I heard she's a smart girl, so she wouldn't hesitate to share her worries with her friends and Neal, and would only ruin our operation." Tamara once wondered why the Home Office suddenly found interest in Rumplestiltskin's daughter, but then she thought that she actually didn't care. She was doing what was asked, and what truly mattered was that their mission was accomplished.

Emma went in the Granny's hotel, expecting to find Athena here. She thought that it would be good if they went to visit Lux at the convent together. But she saw Neal sitting in the hall.

"Hi Neal…" – she said, a bit awkwardly.

"Hi Emma. Tamara went out; she said she wanted to have a walk in the town, to know it better. So, I'm here alone." – Neal said, then he joked – "And you're taking the opportunity to get closer to me."

"I'm not. I'm looking for Athena… the white talking cat." – Emma said.

"I suppose she's with her mistress, up there." – Neal said, pointing at the ceiling, but meaning the next floor – "Something happened?"

"No, don't worry. I just thought to visit Lux and see how his healing progressed." – Emma explained.

"I'm worried about him too…" – Neal replied – "He's the first magical being I met when I definitely moved to the Land Without Magic. At least now, he doesn't put his nose in my love life."

"I believe he'll have his own to arrange, once he recovers." – Emma half-joked, remembering how close the two cats are, and how she met their future son Apollo at the 30th century.

"Yeah… there's definitely a little something between him and Athena." – Neal said with a smile, remembering how worried and alarmed Athena was when Lux got injured.

"Not so little, trust me." – Emma smiled back, before adding – "It's too bad we don't know who did this to him."

"And we'll find out." – said a voice from upstairs.

Emma and Neal looked up and they saw that it was Athena. Emma then greeted her, saying that she was the one she came to see in the first place. The two then went out the hotel in the direction of the convent, to pay a visit to Lux.

Enchanted Forest

Rumplestiltskin was sharpening the tools which he planned to kill the thief with.

"I'll try to be quiet." – Rumplestiltskin said to Belle – "But I can't promise the same for the thief."

He then left in the dungeon for a second, but as he discovered that the thief wasn't there, he marched back.

"Belle! Where is he?!" – he shouted.

"He's gone." – Belle answered calmly – "I let him go."

"What?! He's a thief…!" – Rumple exclaimed infuriated.

"It doesn't give you the right to kill him!" – Belle protested.

"It gives me every right! Oh, let me guess, you think he's a hero! You believe he was stealing from me for a noble cause! You're reading too many books!" – Rumplestiltskin shouted, after what he made the book Belle was reading disappear from her hands.

"I didn't free him because of what I had read in books. I saw good in him." – Belle explained – "That man just wanted to leave to keep his life."

"Oh, you think so? Our thief left not only with his life." – Rumplestiltskin said, showing her that the place where the wand had been no longer holds it.

Belle only then noticed it, but for her it didn't change a thing. Rumple pursued to accuse her for what she did:

"He dumped you, stupid confiding girl!"

"There might be an explanation, we don't know why he needed the wand." – Belle tried to reason the Dark One, but no luck.

"He took the wand because he wants magic! People who still magic can't have good intentions!"

"No! You can't know what's in a person's heart, until you truly know him!" – Belle protested.

"We'll see what is in his heart, when I shoot an arrow through it!" - Rumplestiltskin yelled at his maid once more – "And since I'm a showman, it will be done with his own bow!"

As he said that, Rumplestiltskin magically summoned the bow in his hands. Then, he added:

"And since it's your fault, you'll come with me to watch! And when his corpse will bleed, you'll clean the mess!"

Storybrooke

While Emily and Little Em were walking to Mary Margaret's loft, the kid was asking questions about Belle's condition again. Emily had no other choice than answer.

"It's due to the fact Storybrooke doesn't actually exist." – the guardian of thunder was explaining – "It was created by a curse, creating false memories and identity for all Storybrooke citizens. So, it seems to be the reason why everyone who crosses the town line loses his "enchanted" memories. Or maybe, it's because Regina created the curse this way. And that's what happened to Belle."

"That's sad… she forgot about her family." – Little Em said, before she suddenly exclaimed, making one excited jump – "I know! We must re-introduce Belle and Gold to each other! So, she'll fall in love with him again, and your family will be repaired!"

"What…? No, Little Em, this isn't that simple, she…"

"She fell in love with him once, she can do it twice!" – Little Em said, sure that her idea was ingenious.

Emily sighed slightly and she shook her head with a small smile. Little Em was so young and yet so innocent. She thought this was so simple, while there was a quite complicated history between Emily's parents.

"Gold is a complicated man, and Belle is constantly nervous…" – Emily tried to reduce the kid's too big enthusiasm.

But Little Em was too convinced by her idea that it could work, so she barely paid attention to Emily's words. She turned to her friend and said:

"You helped me with my family, didn't you? So now, I must help your family too."

Emily could only nod to this. First, because there was no way she could change Little Em's mind, since she was too determinate. And second, she saw how Little Em was grateful for what she, Emma and others did for her mother and her kingdom. Even though she was very young, the little girl seemed to have the sense of gratitude. "It's an important quality for a princess…" – Emily thought. Then, she guessed that might be a not so bad idea to give Little Em's idea a try.

"Alright, Little Em… Let's introduce Gold to Belle once more. Who knows, maybe amnesia won't blur her vision and she'll see the man behind the beast again?"

"Yay! I knew you would like that!" – Little Em jumped in enthusiasm once more – "Let's prepare her for the date!"

The last phrase made Emily smile, because Belle was in hospital and it wasn't the place with the most romantic atmosphere. But the kid had a point; it would be something like a date. Then, Emily thought that her mum was hysteric when she saw Gold the night she got shot. So, the best thing to do was to prepare her for this meeting. Emily then said to Little Em:

"You know, in order to keep Belle calm during the… date, I shall warn her and prepare her for that. Her reactions weren't very positive when she first saw Gold after losing her memories."

"Okay. Then, I shall tell to Gold!" – Little Em exclaimed, ready to rush to the pawnshop.

"Wait, you're supposed to go back home!" – Emily protested.

"I'm not that fragile, you know. The idea was mine, it's my job!"

"Fair enough." – Emily agreed – "But be careful anyway."

Little Em promised that she would be and she went to Mr Gold's pawnshop. Emily went back in the hospital, to warn Belle that Gold would visit her later. Tamara, who was standing hidden nearby, grinned. It was all so perfect. Not only she got pictures of both Emily and Little Em, but also she heard everything about their conversation. They were talking about magical amnesia, and it was another proof, another motivation to pursue her assignment. "I feel I'll be very lucky today. Maybe I shall witness magic?" – Tamara thought with enthusiasm as she kept following Emily from afar.

Enchanted Forest

Belle and Rumplestiltskin were riding in a carriage in search for the thief. The Dark One remarked that he was losing track of the thief, as a result of the thick forest. Belle suggested him that maybe they should go home, but Rumplestiltskin disagreed.

"Let the thief go? What people will think of me, if I let someone who stole from me escape?" – Rumple asked.

"That there is a man hiding behind the beast?" – Belle suggested, clearly not impressed by his talk.

"There isn't." – Rumplestiltskin protested.

"In that case, why didn't you kill me when I freed the thief?" – Belle asked, with a hint of challenge in her tone.

"I would have. But a good help is hard to find nowadays." – Rumple said, wanting to break Belle's illusions away.

But his words didn't have the effect he expected they would have, because Belle said, not seeming to buy this:

"I think your soul isn't that dark as you want people to believe. Somewhere, deep down in your heart, there is love, for something more than power."

After a short moment of silence, Rumplestiltskin said:

"You're right. There is something I love."

Belle smiled a little, expecting him to continue, thinking that she was going somewhere. But his answer disappointed her, because he added:

"My things!"

"Your soul is as dark as people think." – Belle said after a moment.

"No, I'm darker dearie. Much darker." – he replied, before stopping the carriage.

When the two exited the carriage, Rumplestiltskin saw the Sheriff of Nottingham of these woods, and tells him that he was in search of a thief. The Sheriff looked at the bow Rumplestiltskin was holding, and he said:

"I know who you're searching. But I also know who you are, Rumplestiltskin."

"My reputation precedes me." – Rumple commented.

"Yes, just like your passion for making deals." – Sheriff of Nottingham replied – "I'll tell you where the thief is, if you give me something in exchange."

"And what do you want?"

"A night with your wench." – the sheriff answered, pointing at Belle.

Rumplestiltskin briefly gazed at Belle, who looked horrified, and then he said:

"She's not for sale."

"Oh, can't you give her at least for an hour? Or twenty minutes…?" – the sheriff tried to negotiate.

But Rumplestiltskin refused to give up Belle for any amount of time. So, he conjured the Sheriff's tongue out of his mouth into his hand.

"I'm offering you another deal: I'll give your tongue back and in exchange you'll tell everything you know about the thief I'm looking for."

The sheriff agreed to this new deal, and so Rumplestiltskin magically gave him his tongue back.

"The thief you're looking for, I'm chasing him for years!" – the sheriff began – "He broke my life! He stole the woman I loved. He made of me the scoff of Nottingham!"

"And where can I find him?" – the Dark One asked.

"From the last news, he's hiding in the Sherwood Forest." – the Sheriff of Nottingham answered.

"And what's his name?"

"Robin Hood."

Once the information was told, it evoked an evil grin from Rumplestiltskin.

Storybrooke

Mr Gold was sitting in his pawnshop, thinking once more about the nightmare he had. Sometimes, he was thinking that it was a sign, a warning from destiny. But some other times, he was thinking that it were only his inner fears. "Maybe it's because of the fact I'm facing my past again? I didn't think about the prophecy until I found Bae." – Gold mused – "Is it because I'm losing those who can awake the good part of me? Belle doesn't remember me, and Bae barely speaks with me." Neal spent his time with Tamara or with Emily, but not with his father. The young man didn't seem to be ready to start everything over just yet, and this feared Gold. If Bae was turning his back to him, who knew, perhaps Emily would too? "For now, she's good to me… but someday, I'll surely deceive her and she'll stop to see a possible light in me. And then, I would not possibly able to mix with light. The nightmare shall come true." Gold was submerged in his dark and very pessimist thoughts for a while, until he heard the bell at the front door ring. Someone entered his shop. He looked in the direction of the door, and he got surprised to see that it was Little Em.

"Hello, there. What are you doing here?" – he asked.

"I'm here to prepare you for something." – Little Em replied.

"Prepare me for what?" – Gold asked, wondering what she could possibly talk about.

"Prepare you for the date with Belle, of course!" – Little Em answered with excitement.

Gold's brain went blank for a moment. Then, questions crossed his mind. Did he hear well? Was the kid serious? Was it some joke? And how would he meet Belle if she didn't even remember him? After a moment of silence, he asked:

"How so, a "date" with Belle…?"

"Emily went to prepare Belle for your visit at the hospital. I am here to tell you to go see her and make her fall in love with you again." – Little Em explained, all grinning.

Gold went silent for a moment once more. As his mind processed, he said:

"Are you… playing cupid, kid? Don't you have other things to do?"

"To be honest, I don't." – Little Em replied, the answer unexpected by the Dark One – "I want to be at least useful. I want bring your family back together…!"

Gold sighed and after a moment, he nodded. He really wanted to see Belle. Belle was the one who brought a bit of light in his darkness, and he needed her now more than ever. Then, he noticed with surprise that after his one nod, Little Em got very excited about this and she began to make a list of what he should do and what he shouldn't. She was speaking a lot, and Gold just let her talk until she would finish. He noted that some of the advices were the most obvious to everyone rules and others were… well, Gold just wondered why Little Em thought they would be general rules. After a long moment listening to her babbling, Mr Gold commented:

"Kid, you're only six! You can't really understand a thing about romance."

Little Em got what seemed an offended look, and then she said, doing her best to sound as a convincing person.

"I do understand romance!" – Little Em said with pride – "I know, because I saw how dad acts around mum."

Gold just sighed, and decided to not reply her. It was pointless to argue with a kid, convinced that his parents were the most relevant example. He just nodded and said:

"Alright, alright… I'll keep your lesson in mind."

Little Em didn't notice the sarcastic note at the word "lesson". So, she wished Gold good luck and she finally went back to where she was supposed to be: Mary Margaret's loft.

In the hospital, Belle was sitting in her bed, while Emily was in the main hall, waiting for Gold to come and have a talk with his beloved. The teen got relieved to see her father come and so she walked to him and said:

"I warned Belle that you would buy her a visit."

"Thank you. How did she take it?" – Gold asked with worry.

"She's much calmer than before. So, she took it quite alright." – Emily answered – "Good luck, Gold."

Mr Gold nodded and he went in the direction of Belle's hospital room. When he entered, Belle looked up at him and she managed a short smile. Then, she said:

"Emily warned me that you would come to see me… But Mr Gold, I don't remember you…"

"Yes, I know." – Gold said – "But even though you don't, my feelings towards you are unchanged. I just hope you'll always keep this in mind, just in case."

Belle smiled briefly again, and after a moment of silence, she said:

"You know… I always kept thinking over and over about you and what you were saying before… and today, especially after Emily's second visit, I… I believe you."

Gold looked at Belle questioningly, and the woman pursued:

"I believe that the past you talked me about existed, and that… you were a part of it."

"Yes… yes, I was." – Gold said, with a slow nod.

"Emily is… your daughter too, right?" – Belle asked, to which Gold only nodded – "I really want to remember all of this, Gold… about her, about us… I feel like I'm missing something important, while my memories are gone."

"I believe that your memories shall eventually return." – Gold said – "And from that moment, you won't miss anything, Belle."

Belle nodded, and after a short moment, she dared to bring back the topic which no one wanted to tell her about:

"The day I got injured, I remember how you… healed me."

"When your memories return, this will make sense." – Gold promised her – "Everything will be set all right… for both of us. You always awoke the best in me. And now… I really need this."

Gold wished he could tell her more, but he knew there was lot of things he couldn't tell her, as long as her memories were gone. But then, Belle took Gold's hand, almost surprising him. This small gesture gave him hope.

Enchanted Forest

Belle tried to convince Rumplestiltskin to not to kill the thief, but he ignored her, and it did nothing. She then exclaimed:

"I'm not watching how you're killing a person!"

"You can sit if you prefer! But you will watch!" – Rumple said back – "It's the goal of our journey, in case you forgot! So, you'll see what your deed brought you into."

Then, they both could see the thief from afar.

"Here he is." – Rumplestiltskin said, as he prepared himself to kill him.

"Look, he's… waiting for someone." – Belle remarked.

Then, they saw a carriage coming, in which was lying a sick woman.

"She must be the woman the thief stole from the sheriff." – Rumplestiltskin said.

"She's ill… she's dying…!" – Belle said, seeing in which state the woman was.

"He will too." – Rumple added, aiming the arrow.

Belle stopped him for a moment. Then, they could see the thief using the wand on the sick woman, and progressively, the color was returning to her face. After a moment, the woman was feeling better.

"I was right. That's why he stole the wand! He wanted to heal his beloved." – Belle said, looking at the couple with a soft and smiling expression.

"He's still a thief." – Rumple said, not seeming affected at all.

"She would have died, if he didn't steal the wand." – Belle pointed out.

"And now, he will die! And the whole Sharwood Forest shall know what happens when you anger Rumplestiltskin!"

Growing tired of hearing Belle's talks, the Dark One magically placed the lower half of her body into the soil, so she can't move, and is forced to watch him kill the thief. He pulled back the bow and arrow, aiming it at the thief.

"You don't have to do this!" – Belle pleaded him once more, determinate to prevent the murder – "There is good in you! I were right about this thief, so I'm right about you!"

Then, the woman stood up, revealing her swollen belly. This made Belle beg Rumple more intensely.

"Look, she's pregnant!" – Belle pointed out – "You can't leave a child fatherless."

Rumple then remembered his son, Baelfire. After a moment, he shot the arrow, but it hit the carriage, missing the thief and his beloved. Seeing the arrow and that they got located, the couple got on a horse, and they rode away.

"What happened?" – Belle asked.

"I missed." – Rumplestiltskin replied, before lifting her out of the ground – "Go back to the carriage. I've had enough of this forest."

"You're not chasing him?" – Belle asked with a smile.

"He's not worth the effort."

"You spared his life." – Belle commented.

"What? Nothing like that." – Rumple protested.

"The bow is magic; it never misses its target." – Belle said.

"Well, perhaps the magic wore off." – the Dark One came up with an excuse, not wanting to admit that his maid was right.

But Belle knew he was lying. She smiled and she hugged him, to his surprise. After she pulled away, they went back to their carriage, and while Belle wasn't looking at him, Rumplestiltskin had during a moment a smile on his face.

Storybrooke

Emma and Athena spent some time next to Lux. He was progressively recovering. He regained the most of his strength and he looked joyful when he saw Emma and Athena. But he didn't regain his ability to talk yet, which didn't stop him from trying to speak. Emma noticed that he tried to say her something, but unfortunately nothing except a "mew" could come out of his mouth.

"Keep resting, Lux. You'll tell me whatever you have to when you recover." – Emma was saying to the cat.

Athena was beginning getting suspicious about something. She still remembered that Lux's last spoken word was "she". Could this word have been referring to Tamara? After all, Lux went to spy Tamara before he got attacked. But Athena couldn't share her thoughts with anyone yet, because she had no real evidence. Athena got pulled out of her thoughts when she saw Mother Superior approach them.

"The injury on his star mark is almost healed. He shall recover his voice very soon."

"That's good to hear." – Emma replied.

"There is something else, Emma…" – Mother Superior said, before showing a small bottle containing a blue liquid inside – "This can return the memories of those who lost it by crossing the town line. I just finished it."

"What…? How did you do that?" – Emma asked amazed.

"The key was the hair I took from your head." – Mother Superior explained – "Because it symbolized the person you used to be in another life."

Emma then said that they should bring the bottle to the hospital. After a moment, Emma, Athena and Mother Superior arrived in the main hall of the hospital, where they met Emily. The latter was wondering how things were going between Gold and Belle, but her thoughts got lost when she saw Emma. She wondered what she could be doing here.

"Emily, Mother Superior just finished the preparation of an elixir, which can return Belle's memories." – Emma announced, making Emily immediately stand up from her chair.

"Yes, here it is." – Mother Superior said, showing the bottle and then she handed it to Emma before leaving the hospital.

After a moment, Emma handed the elixir to Emily, saying:

"You should be the one to return her memories."

Nodding nervously, Emily walked in the direction of her mother's room. She met Gold on her way, and she told him about the elixir.

"You mean… now, she'll recover her memories?" – Gold asked.

"Yes. Do you want to return them?" – Emily asked, knowing that Gold waited for this day as much as she did.

But the man shook his head and he said:

"I let you two together for a moment."

Even though Gold deadly missed his Belle, he couldn't deny her daughter to see her first. He remembered about how sad and almost depressed Emily was before she had been abducted. She was spending most of her time with her rosebush, because it was what reminded her of her mother. But now, it was time for her to "awake" the true rose she was craving for, her mother. Emily smiled at her father and then she slowly entered Belle's hospital room. Belle was surprised to see her once more, but before she had a chance to ask anything, Emily spoke first.

"Look… in this bottle, there's something which will help you to remember. Would you like to… drink it now?" – Emily politely offered her the bottle.

Belle looked at the blue elixir for a moment, finding it a bit strange, but then she remembered that she had no reasons to distrust Emily. She nodded, after what Emily helped Belle to carefully drink the elixir. Emily waited for a moment, until Belle began to shed tears of happiness. Belle looked at her daughter, smiling and crying at the same time, she said:

"Emily… I remember… I remember everything…!"

No more words had to be said. Emily, with tears in her eyes, hugged her mother, who hugged her back. They stayed in this position for a long moment, before they pulled away, and Emily began to tell Belle everything that happened while she was in the hospital. A couple of moments after, Gold entered the room too, relieved that the elixir actually worked. Belle smiled to him brightly and with teary and shiny eyes, she said:

"Rumple…"

"Belle… You're finally back… You have no idea of how I missed you…" – Gold said.

The couple happily embraced and they shared a loving kiss, after what Emily decided to let them alone for a moment. As she exited the hospital room, all smiling, she didn't notice Tamara standing behind a corner. She had observed the whole scene and she was satisfied by the fact she witnessed magic on her turn. "We're definitely winning." – she thought, before going to her and Greg's meeting point.

Enchanted Forest

When Belle and Rumplestiltskin got back to the Dark Castle, Belle said that it seemed like he wouldn't need the bow anymore. Rumplestiltskin replied that he would keep it, because it might come in handy someday.

"Well, if you don't need me for anything else, good night Rumplestiltskin." – Belle said.

She was about to go to bed, but Rumplestiltskin stopped her.

"No, wait. There is something else."

He brought her to a room of his castle that had thousands of books lining the walls. As Belle was looking around in amazement, the Dark One said:

"Temper your excitement, dearie. It's only another room for you to clean."

"It's… wonderful." – Belle said – "There are more books than I could read in a lifetime."

"Well, I hope you can clean faster than you can read." – Rumplestiltskin said, doing his best to sound indifferent.

But this didn't change what Belle could see in him now. She said, affected and surprised by this offering:

"You did this for me…?"

"I don't want to see any dust on any of these books." – Rumple said, faking strictness.

Belle of course didn't buy it and she couldn't help but smile. Surprised to see her smile like this, Rumplestiltskin said:

"What are you smiling at, I'm serious."

But then, she surprised him once more, by taking his hand in hers. She said to him with a smile:

"You're not like I thought you were. And I'm glad."

Storybrooke

Greg was waiting for Tamara at the Storybrooke border. Then she finally showed up, and after she went out of her truck, the two briefly exchanged a kiss.

"Is everything going well?" – Greg asked.

"Oh yes. My today's mission was productive." – Tamara replied with a smile.

The two then walked behind the trunk, but before opening it, Greg asked:

"Will the "package" be cooperating?"

"According to what I know about him, he won't need much convincing to agree help us." – Tamara said with conviction – "If there's someone who you can count on to do a dirty work, it's a pirate."

At those words, Tamara opened the trunk and Greg flashed his light inside. Inside the trunk was sitting the bound and gagged Captain Hook.

A/N: You might be wondering why we did something very different with this chapter. First, it was because in this fanfic, Regina has no reason to take Belle away from Gold. So why didn't we remove the act completely? Because the flashbacks are important, since it introduces Robin and Marian for the first time. So, we couldn't have removed like that, especially that it shows how Rumple spared Robin Hood's life, which is a couple of times mentioned later. And... yes, there's no actual action in this chapter. But after all, the guardians can't have constant fights all the time. Showing the heroes have a "normal" life sometimes isn't that bad.